Opinions on feeding guppy fry to bettas?

I was reading an IBC Member's page.... he said that feeding live guppy fry to bettas is great and will perk them up b/c they have to chase them.
I have mixed feelings since we do feed other live food. I was just wondering what everyone else thinks. BTW I don't have guppies-- just interested in opinions.

 

Might be good for them...personally, I can't handle anything with a face, eating anything else with a face...........if the thing being eaten is still alive . I'm way to soft for that. I freaked out when I saw a huge tank in a Pet store with a kazillion little minnows in it....dahh me thought it was overcrowding, then I find out they are food for other things... :'(.

Do you think you could watch it?? Icky!! I bet you are also a softee!!

 

I wouldn't have the heart to feed live baby fish to them. There is plenty of different foods out there. I've read on other forums of people breeding Bettas and feeding the Betta fry to their larger fish.  :'(  I couldn't do it to a Betta or a Guppy. I even feel so sorry for the feeder goldfish and Rosy Red Minnows that they sell for food.  I've often wondered if Rosy Red Minnows would make good tank mates for Bettas? I don't know if they are fin nippers or not.  I sometimes feel like getting a separate tank and getting a few just to save them.

 

I know I am gonna get slammed for this, but I am not that much of a softy.

I don't know, I just kinda feel like it is the food chain in action. And what do you think is in that food you buy-- it isn't just veggies and carbs!

Although, I did read that a betta breeder feeds undesirable bettas (like with genetic defects) to her Oscar. Her logic was that the betta couldn't be allowed to breed, and that no one would buy it, so instead of just killing it, it would at least be food. NOW THAT I COULDN'T DO, OR WATCH!!! I have read that most breeders kill unwanted bettas.

I guess this is just one of those topics that can go either way.

I really don't know how I truly feel about the guppy fry, but they breed like mad, so it isn't like they are going to go extinct.

OK EVERYONE: Feel free to call me a monster ;D

 

Genie - You are a monster. LOL just kidding. Personally, I couldn't go and buy a baby fish for the sole purpose of feeding it to a larger fish. That would be too traumatic for me - and also for the little fishy! But then I think about how my Molly just gave birth (and I wasn't home!) and every little fry was eaten. So I guess it all equals out in the wash and its just nature taking its course. You just have to decide how much you'd like to help nature

 

I think i'd rather just feed them some thawed frozen bloodworms. If I want them to have to chase their food, I can just drop it in the current. It's a lot easier to find and store than live guppy fry, at least around here, probably cheaper (per meal) too.

 

Well, I meant if you had guppy fry already and assuming that you don't want anymore guppy.

 

If people don't want tons of guppy fry then why do they keep males and females together? They should just keep all males or all females.

 

Genie's a monster!!! Nahh, I am just kidding. Do what you want- that is the beauty of living in the free world. I am not a vegetarian or anything...........I guess things like that that make my cry :'( .... ..outa sight, outa mind. It is why I bought a sick fish instead of a healthy one, it's why I decided I can't use minnows to fish any more....

You are a good betta mom, and what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business...LOLOLOL-

 

My little sister keeps a guppy we jokingly call Mary because she's had two litters so far without males in the tank... Guppy fry just HAPPEN! Then she eats them all . No one really complains because we don't really have room for more guppies anyway, and my sister learns the circle of life . I know how guppies get overpopulated REAL fast, so I could totally see feeding them off to other fish. Their own mommy would eat them anyway!

 

My little sister keeps a guppy we jokingly call Mary because she's had two litters so far without males in the tank... Guppy fry just HAPPEN! Then she eats them all . No one really complains because we don't really have room for more guppies anyway, and my sister learns the circle of life . I know how guppies get overpopulated REAL fast, so I could totally see feeding them off to other fish. Their own mommy would eat them anyway!

lol.. yea, she bought them pregnant, like our Daisy was.. eventually they'll run out of fuel without males in the tank tho. You could catch the babies and release them into the sewers where they'd become radioactive, mutant guppies!

 

I'm a monster like Genie. ;D

I couldn't feed bettas to anything though. I'd feed huge guppies, giant danios..anything like that. Minnows, even neon tetras. But not bettas.

 

When I was a kid, my mom would buy feeder fish and keep them as pets.

 

I'd have no problem feeding shrimp to anything. I think they are the creepiest ugliest things! They look like bugs!
I couldn't feed live fish of any kind though. I can't even eat fish myself. It would be like eating dog or cat meat!

 

I'd have no problem feeding shrimp to anything. I think they are the creepiest ugliest things! They look like bugs!
I couldn't feed live fish of any kind though. I can't even eat fish myself. It would be like eating dog or cat meat!

I was the same way for the longest time... until I tasted Sushi!! Of all things! I feel like a monster too... I just try not to think about what it is when I eat it.

 

mmmmm sushi.... *drools*  

I don't really have a problem with other people feeding live food or feeder fish or whatever. I just don't know that I could do it. It's kinda like the people who keep snakes and feed live mice. I just couldn't do it, even tho I think snakes are cool and that's what they eat.

Now, if there was something I could feed spiders to... I would do it HAPPILY!

 

lol.. my wife is all for the spider-feeding!

 

A co-worker of mine breeds Platy's for his Piranha's. He's got a huge tank that the Platy's just keep breeding and breeding in. Really, it's cheap food for your fish more than anything. I would be interested in the whole guppy thing, but on the other hand guppy's are too darned cute.

 

A co-worker of mine breeds Platy's for his Piranha's. He's got a huge tank that the Platy's just keep breeding and breeding in. Really, it's cheap food for your fish more than anything. I would be interested in the whole guppy thing, but on the other hand guppy's are too darned cute.

I think both fish are cute.. now I have seen some fish that wouldn't be as hard to feed to big fish, like that one that looks like a floating grasshopper.

 

I'm just thankful he wasn't feeding swordtails, I've got a REAL soft spot for them...

 

I think both fish are cute.. now I have seen some fish that wouldn't be as hard to feed to big fish, like that one that looks like a floating grasshopper.

LOL...are you talking about the African Butterfly fish?! It's one of my goals in life to get one!!

 

I couldn't feed live fish of any kind though. I can't even eat fish myself. It would be like eating dog or cat meat!

I sometimes feel like a hypocrite because I'm such an animal lover, but I eat meat. Our aquarium is in the dining room. Whenever we eat fish, I always feel like our fish are watching us, like, "How dare you!!"

 

lol =)) I'm really glad I don't like fish so I am spared those looks, but I understand what everyone is saying about live fishes and feedings. Kinda the same as my cousin's family. They raise their own animals to eat such as chickens and steers not really that much different except that its the fish doing the eating of pets and not me. I might be able to feed ugly type guppies and minnows to other fish but not bettas.

 

lol.. when we have fish for dinner, we tell our bettas to not look. :

 

I love pet fish, food fish and fishing for fish. What can I say, I just love fish in every shape and form. lol. I'm horrible!

Nothing like a good grilled salmon... snapper, trout... haddock... *drools* I'm gonna make me some fish for supper!

I'm going straight to the fiery pits of damnation.

 

I was originally from the east coast and spent my growing up years eating a lot of fish and sorry now that I cannot eat it at all. Since I have started keeping fish, I just cannot do it. It makes me feel like I am eating Alex or Marty Jr. My family cannot even get me to eat Salmon.

Rose

 

I was originally from the east coast and spent my growing up years eating a lot of fish and sorry now that I cannot eat it at all. Since I have started keeping fish, I just cannot do it. It makes me feel like I am eating Alex or Marty Jr. My family cannot even get me to eat Salmon.
Rose

Stacy needs to have fish as part of her diet so we just tell our Bettas to not watch whenever we have fish for dinner. :

 

I have been wanting to feed guppy fry to my bettas for a while, but I cannot find any regular guppies to breed. I don't want the fancy guppies. That would be a waste to feed those fry to them, but just the regular grey guppies would be ok. My bettas don't care much for brine shrimp and I was thinking live guppy fry would be a good addition to their diet and maybe they would like it.

 

I have been wanting to feed guppy fry to my bettas for a while, but I cannot find any regular guppies to breed. I don't want the fancy guppies. That would be a waste to feed those fry to them, but just the regular grey guppies would be ok. My bettas don't care much for brine shrimp and I was thinking live guppy fry would be a good addition to their diet and maybe they would like it.

did you try live baby brine shrimp on them? or just the freeze-dried or frozen?

 

Brine shrimp is okay for baby bettas before they are big enough to sell as it is about all they can eat, but it is not nutritious enough to use for a full time diet for your adult betta and is way too rich for their systems. If you read the cans, you will see it is recommended for only at the most a couple of times a week. I have used it freeze-dried as my fish do not get any frozen foods as I continue to believe that they are risky and do not have the space for them. They are not impressed with them and would rather have their regular foods. I have found 3 or 4 foods that they like and so I feel fortunate that they will eat that much variety and decided not to push it. I had one betta that would eat not only one kind of food but only one brand of that kind of food he was so picky. They can really be stinkers when it comes to food so I would never spend a large amount for any type of food until you know that they will eat it and get the very smallest container you can get. It really is much better if you have other friends that have fish that can take the foods your fish will not eat so the ones yours will not try or eat will not go to waste. Please believe me, I have had to ship out several boxes of foods that did not go over at all.

Rose

 

lol.. I hear you there Rose.. I think we've tried every food known to man (or should I say to bettas ) finding what our kids with fins like and to build a good variety in their diet (7 foods now plus peas and the occasional fruit treat).

 

Might be good for them...personally, I can't handle anything with a face, eating anything else with a face...........if the thing being eaten is still alive .  I'm way to soft for that.  I freaked out when I saw a huge tank in a Pet store with a kazillion little minnows in it....dahh me thought it was overcrowding, then I find out they are food for other things... :'(.

Do you think you could watch it??  Icky!!  I bet you are also a softee!!

Me neither. Am a veggie!

 

I think it makes no difference whether it's a live shrimp or a live livebearer baby. That's why I can't bring myself to feed my mollies live brine shrimp. But I am sure it's better for your bettas to have something to chase around.

I was considering a system whereby they'd have to chase the flakes I give my fish, but couldn't find anything sensible!

To add to the debate, am sure that some of the flake food I give is animal-based, and I wouldn't swear the animals that went in it had an idyllic life.

Interesting debate, interesting debate...

 

It is a very interesting debate, right up there with sex; politics & religion. I guess I am a hypocrite, since I do eat meat............although it is the chickens way out.....if I am not looking ...I somehow justify it to myself. What a cop out on my part!

 

I don't think it's hypocritical to eat meat yet mind that fish in your care may end up as another fish' meal. I think it's great.

If we had to be fanatical about everything being right, my god, I'd not wear shoes and I'd start cycling to work!

 

I admire people who go veggie, I could never do it. I like meat way too much. :-[

 

It's not that hard. I only sometimes get cravings for carpaccio and sushi. The hardest is people making you feel like you're this huge inconvenience.

 

I don't like sushi, and I've never even heard of carpaccio! :-[

I went out with a veggie guy a several times, and I didn't mind having to take his diet into account, as long as he didn't lecture and/or guilt-trip me about eating meat. I also gotta say I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome this veggie soup he made was! ;D

 

ha ha ha. Yep, we need to get imaginative with our food or it would be soooo boring. I have to say I love cooking, and it's quite tricky to make something that actually looks nice wihtout meat. But we find ways. It's like fish, we learn and get used to it and get quite good at it. At the end of the learning curve, none of our friends die of food poisoning anymore!

Roh! You don't like sushi? Then morally it might not be so reprihensible if I continued eating it, seen as you're not!

Carpaccio is very thin raw beef served cold with shavings of parmesan. You need to not be queezy about the fact that it's raw, but it's considered a delicacy (like many other debatable food items, actually).

 

It's funny you know but small scale farmers sometimes have affection for some breeds of animals--pigs or goats for instance which are fairly intelligent and charming in their way--but are quite capable of cutting their throats and chopping them up for meat. I have no problem with eating fish, raw or cooked.

Having said that--could I feed Ribbon some fry? Probably. I've seen livebearers gulping down their own young. Ribbon is essentially a little carnivore. Incidentally he is doing the 'feed me!' dance right now. His lordship calls and I must answer.